Distinctions

Sociocultural characteristics

Homeworld

Habitat

Diet

"Be on your guard—native gorgodons have an appetite for carbon based lifeforms!"

―Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn leaves a warning in a copy of The Jedi Path[src]

Gorgodons were a species of large, furry, non-sentientreptile that lived on the snow-covered world of Ilum. They possessed blaster-proof hide, a strong bone structure, and three rows of sharp teeth, all of which made them dangerous foes in combat. Gorgodons had excellent senses of smell and hearing, which they relied upon due to poor vision. Despite being able to survive on eating just plants, gorgodons spent most of their time hunting live prey in groups, preferring to kill it by suffocating or crushing it with an embrace. Members of the species lived in camouflaged nests of shelter, which they held together with their saliva.

Gorgodons had a bipedal stance, with a tail and four limbs, standing on their hind limbs and using their forelimbs for attack, although they could also walk on all fours. Each limb ended in a paw that could be equal in size to a gravsled and included several sharp claws. The creatures had incredibly strong bone structures that were covered by thick layers of muscle and fat, making them fairly resistant to blunt force attack, though they had a soft, vulnerable point on the back of the neck.[4] Striking this weak point was the only way to kill the beasts, as doing so would sever their spine and paralyze them.[5] Their large size provided them with power when striking against their prey but also made them clumsy and at times slow.[1] Members of the species were capable of producing a thick, brown, rubbery saliva, which they used in the construction of their nests.[4]

"The gorgodons are just hungry! Try giving them your rations next time."

―Ahsoka Tano suggests one way Jedi might avoid fighting gorgodons in a note in The Jedi Path[src]

Gorgodons were native to the planet Ilum.

Gorgodons were most commonly found on the lowland areas of their homeworld of Ilum, where they survived on a diet of lichen, scrubs, and carrion, although it was not uncommon for them to venture into the planet's mountainous regions.[1] They did, however, most commonly hunt live prey, traveling together in family groups of four to eight[2] and using their senses of smell and hearing to locate other animals. When they attacked, they snapped their jaws and rolled their eyes, usually killing their prey by crushing or suffocating them in a hugging motion with their huge forelimbs, although they could use their claws, teeth, and tails to injure their opponents as well.[1]

When they attacked or were injured, the creatures would roar or howl loudly, and if one of their number was killed, a pack would retreat upon picking up the scent of their fellow's death. Gorgodons could also use their claws for climbing the frosted cliffs and mountains of Ilum, at which they were extremely skilled.[1] Gorgodons constructed nests with shelters inside using boulders, sheets of ice, and snow as well as their saliva, which acted like mortar and held the structures together. The shelters were about fifty meters in height and were similar in appearance to a hunched gorgodon's back. The nests could be camouflaged to blend into the surrounding environment, mimicking the steep slopes of the mountains on which they were built.[4]

In the year 28 BBY,[8] Kenobi traveled with his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, to Ilum to help him find a crystal for his lightsaber. The pair encountered a group of sleeping gorgodons in front of the entrance to the Crystal Caves, and their scent woke the beasts, causing the group to attack the two Jedi. One gorgodon managed to grab Kenobi and attempted to crush him. Skywalker saved his Master by stabbing the predator in the vulnerable point at the back of its neck, killing it and causing the rest of the group to flee by climbing further up the mountain.[1] Skywalker later claimed to have killed three gorgodons on Ilum in a note he left in his copy of The Jedi Path, which Kenobi had given him. When Skywalker's apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, inherited the book, she added a note claiming that gorgodons were simply hungry and could be avoided if they were given rations instead of attacked.[7]

Later, in about 18 BBY,[9] after being warned about the gorgodons by Kenobi, the former Jedi Ferus Olin traveled to Ilum, hoping to craft a lightsaber and find the Jedi Master Garen Muln. He sought to enter the Crystal Caves through a secret entrance at the back of a gorgodon nest, which he located despite it being camouflaged. After trying and failing to sneak past the sleeping gorgodons in the nest, Olin attempted to flee from them, but one of the group caught him and beat him around. The former Jedi eventually managed to paralyze the gorgodon by driving a vibroblade into its vulnerable spot, which allowed him to escape.[4] The gorgodons' nest was later burned and destroyed by stormtroopers of the Galactic Empire, who used flamethrowers and flechette launchers to open fire on the nests in an attempt to prevent Olin leaving through the secret entrance. The gorgodons fought back but were quickly defeated and killed.[10]